MOB

Greg Stafford considered KING ARTHUR PENDRAGON his masterpiece, so we're excited to be releasing THE QUEST OF THE RED BLADE in his memory. Originally written by Greg himself in 1991, with revisions and editing by Pendragon line editor David Larkins, it will see print for the first time on October 10. https://www.chaosium.com/blogweareallus-greg-staffords-the-quest-of-the-red-blade-will-appear-in-print-for-the-first-time-on-oct-10

The Lightless Beacon is a short standalone introductory scenario for Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition, we're releasing on October 10 to mark the first anniversary of the passing of Chaosium founder Greg Stafford. https://www.chaosium.com/blogweareallus-the-lightless-beacon-our-new-call-of-cthulhu-adventure-to-remember-greg-stafford

Speed things along by entering a lottery with your fellow initiates: http://rpgreview.net/mob/lotteryswords.htm

Popular podcasters CHAPO TRAP HOUSE sometimes play Call of Cthulhu as part of their show - and here they are playing live at the Columbus Theater in Providence, R.I. for NecronomiCon 2019. The scenario is 'Mr Corbin' from Mansions of Madness.

Further MALLEUS MONSTRORUM work-in-progress from Loïc Muzy. From the chapter "Using Monsters".

Here's the next video instalment from our friends Eloso Förlag. If you're a Call of Cthulhu fan, do yourself a favour and check these videos out, you won't be disappointed. In fact, we think you'll be as amazed as we are! (Click for English subtitles bottom right). And do take a look at their Kickstarter campaign for Call of Cthulhu in Swedish: there's a special level for international backers.

Opening this book may be harmful to your SAN. More fab work-in-progress for the MALLEUS MONSTRORUM by Loïc Muzy...

Here is what we say about this matter in the Jonstown Compendium Guidelines:

Q: Help! - I'm in the Cult of Chaos, but I haven't got the password for the special Cult of Chaos Forum. A: If you're a Cult of Chaos member and have forgotten/lost/haven't received your password to access the special Cult of Chaos forum, message me here via BRP messaging (top right).

Speaking of chariots, this is one of my favourite pics in RQG:

If you're a Cult of Chaos member and have forgotten/lost/haven't received your password to access the special Cult of Chaos forum, message me here via BRP messaging (top right).

Our Flotsam and Jetsam Organised Play Campaign campaign officially kicks off on Sunday September 15th 2019. We'll be sending out the remaining three parts each following month (October 15th, November 15th, December 15th 2019). If you'd like to take part as a Keeper, join the Cult of Chaos, Chaosium’s volunteer network of gamemasters. If you're in the Cult already, you don't need to do anything further at this stage. All registered members of the Cult of Chaos will be invited to sign up to run the OP Campaign before the commencement date. FAQ Q: What is the "Flotsam and Jetsam," Organized Play Campaign? A: Flotsam and Jetsam is a Call of Cthulhu campaign presented as four separate and loosely linked scenarios. Each scenario offers one or more sessions of play and is essentially, stand-alone. They do not require the same players to take part, although returning players will, of course, enjoy a deeper level of fun by the fact they are engaging with a wider story. Each episode will be released on a monthly basis to Keepers in the Cult of Chaos, Chaosium’s volunteer network of gamemasters. Q: What edition of Call of Cthulhu is the campaign written for? A: Call of Cthulhu 7th edition. Call of Cthulhu is available from direct from Chaosium.com. If you order the physical books, you will receive the PDFs immediately. Call of Cthulhu is also available from DriveThruRPG, and from Friendly Local Games Stores all over. Q: What is the launch date? A: The campaign officially kicks off on Sunday September 15th 2019. You can start running the campaign any time after that, once you’ve had a chance to read it through. We'll be sending out the remaining three parts each following month (October 15th, November 15th, December 15th 2019). Q: If I want to take part, what do I need to do before then? A: Anyone who wishes to be a Keeper (Game Master) in the campaign needs to join the Cult of Chaos, Chaosium’s Organized Play and Game Master program. Joining up is simple and free, just go here. You also need an account at BRP Central, Chaosium's forums. Again this is free. Q: If I’m already member of the Cult of Chaos, do I need to do anything to register? A: If you're in the Cult already, you don't need to do anything further at this stage. All registered members of the Cult of Chaos will be invited to run the OP Campaign before the commencement date. Q: If I’m going to be a Keeper, how will I receive updates and instructions? A: Each month a new episode of the OP campaign is released, which we’ll send you by email. We’ll also host discussions about the campaign for Keepers and players in the Call of Cthulhu area of BRP Central – The Chaosium Forums. This will be the place to share experiences of running the campaign, pose questions, give feedback, and share fan-created resources. Q: How does the Campaign unfold? A: Flotsam and Jetsam uses the investigator organization called Strange But True! (as detailed in the Investigator Handbook) as the glue holding the campaign together. For those without access to the Investigator Handbook, particulars about the organization are included in Part One. Each scenario in Flotsam and Jetsam is, essentially, standalone, and does not require the same players to take part, although returning players will, of course, enjoy a deeper level of fun by the fact they are engaging with a wider story. As to frequency of play, that's up to you as the Keeper. Ideally, you will run one episode per month (either weekly, fortnightly, or monthly), but obviously some groups may take longer or shorter. Each episode contains what's needed for that month - preparing an episode is basically down to how long it takes you to read it through and make whatever notes you require. Month One provides episode one but also general campaign information of use throughout the campaign, thus you’ll have a lot of key info upfront. Q: If I miss the start date, can I still play? A: Sure, you are welcome to participate at any time: just download the files, and get going when you are ready (you'll need to join the Cult of Chaos first, if you haven't done so). Q: What is the minimum age for participants? A: Keepers/GMs in the Cult of Chaos must be eighteen years and over. For players, Flotsam and Jetsam should be fine for most teenagers - if necessary, the Keeper can of course tone things down according to their play group (equally, ramp things up for older and "hardened" gamers). Q: Where can I play this? Is playing at home acceptable, or does it have to be in a game store or at a convention? A: Playing at home is perfectly acceptable! Your friendly local game store is an ideal place to help spread Call of Cthulhu to new players, so also highly recommended! We will even be providing sign-up flyers and posters to help you recruit players. The stand-alone nature of the scenarios means you could even play an individual episode at a convention. Q: Can I play in the campaign online? A: Absolutely! Virtual Tabletops like Fantasy Grounds, Roll20, and Astral are great places to play Call of Cthulhu with people from all over the world. Some groups may even stream their play through TwitchTV. Q: How many people does the campaign accommodate? A: The campaign will work best for groups of 4 to 6 players, plus a Keeper. Q: What does it cost to participate? A: Participation is completely free, for both Keepers and players. Q: Who has written the campaign? A: The original concept for Flotsam and Jetsam was by Mike Mason and Scott Dorward. The writers involved are Brian Courtemanche, Matthew Dawkins, Anthony Lee-Dudley, Glyn White, and Scott Dorward. Editorial work for the project is by Mike Mason, Lynne Hardy, and Scott Dorward. Other people directly involved in the OP program at Chaosium are Todd Gardiner, Dustin Wright, and Michael ‘MOB’ O’Brien. Q: Will there be a book release of Flotsam and Jetsam at some stage? A: Yes, Chaosium will publish the whole campaign as a full color supplement down the line, after the OP campaign has concluded. We’d love to incorporate feedback from the Organised Play run in the book version. Our previous Organised Play campaign, A Time to Harvest (2016) is currently in the art commissioning stage. Q: Err… is organized play possible for a game where characters can easily die or go insane? A: A set of pre-generated investigators is provided with the first scenario, and these may be reused in the follow-up scenarios (if they survive!); however, there is nothing to stop Keepers creating their own set of investigators, or for players to bring their own investigators to the game. Ultimately, the decision is yours as the Keeper of the campaign.

Out now in release for Cult of Chaos members! : part one of Flotsam and Jetsam, our new Organised Play campaign for Call of Cthulhu. Presented as four separate and loosely linked scenarios, each part offers one or more sessions of play and is essentially, stand-alone. They do not require the same players to take part, although returning players will, of course, enjoy a deeper level of fun by the fact they are engaging with a wider story. Each episode will be released free on a monthly basis to Keepers in the Cult of Chaos, Chaosium’s volunteer network of gamemasters. If you'd like to take part, join the Cult of Chaos - it's free! If you're in the Cult already, go to The Chaos Library in our special password protected section for the Cult of Chaos at our BRP Central Forums to download. Three files are ready to download today: the Introduction, part one 'The Star Brothers', and a set of Pregenerated Investigators. More details about the campaign at the Flotsam & Jetsam FAQ.

Yes, it is YGWV - WILL. However, YGMV ("MAY") definitely also has it uses, specifically here and in other discussion forums where Glorantha is a collaborative creation. If someone makes a proposition about Glorantha, about how they see certain things, others may or may not agree, and so may or may not want to want to use that in their Glorantha too. E.g. "In my Glorantha, the durulz have teeth, all the better so they can chomp on their cigars. YGMV."

Aramaic is the holy language of the Mandeans, gnostic dualists who venerate John the Baptist rather than Jesus. I don't think the Mandeans speak Aramaic in their day to day life, but they are still around. And in CREDO.

https://rollingboxcars.com/2019/09/13/editors-desk-chaosium-announces-the-impending-release-of-alone-against-the-frost

More details about the 7th Sea adventure 'The Sword of Kings' that John Wick has written specially for this occasion here:

Announcing the first of the free #rpg adventures we're releasing on Oct 10 in memory of Greg Stafford. 'The Sword of Kings', a 7th Sea scenario by John Wick: https://www.chaosium.com/blogweareallus-the-sword-of-kings-free-7th-sea-adventure-to-be-released-in-memory-of-greg-stafford-on-oct-10/

They probably make the same sort of rationalising mental gymnastics that the many idealistic signers of the US Declaration of Independence who were slave owners did.

Chaosium's Lynne Hardy and Nick Nacario were among the panellists at Necromonicon's "Victory at Home and Beyond: Investigators for Social Equality" panel, discussing how do we create stories that are true to the bleak Mythos vision of the universe while still telling diverse stories that represent everyone in cosmic horror? The other panelists are Gwen Callahan of the HP Lovecraft Film Festival, Oscar Rios from Golden Goblin Press, Jeffrey Moeller of Stygian Fox, and Andrew Leman from the HP Lovecraft Historical Society. http://www.legendsoftabletop.com/?p=4418

I personally won't be at Essen this year but we will have a booth there, and Rick, Neil, Jeff, Jason, and Julia will be there from the team. And plenty of books for you to pick up!

A follow-up note from our customer support specialist Dustin, about our Critical Role-induced sales explosion and subsequent shipping delays in August: "Since our North American shipper dropped the shoggoth so to speak we want to make amends regardless of whether your specific order was delayed or not ...we take care of our tribe. So, everyone who made an order directly at Chaosium.com in the month of August is getting a special reward because there is a good (sucky) chance that your order was delayed. We hate this. You deserve better than that." TLDR - due to Critical Role's The Shadow of the Crystal Palace, our North American fulfilment warehouse had a tsunami of orders wash over them, and looked up to see R’lyeh give them no solace. Here's what we're doing to make amends for the shipping delays: everyone who ordered directly from Chaosium.com in August either gets a free PDF of Alone Against the Dark or a $10 discount coupon. More details from Dustin at the link: https://www.chaosium.com/bloga-note-from-dustin-ii-august-was-crazy-and-heres-what-were-doing-for-you-to-say-thanks-for-your-patience

That the Cult of the Black Sun is a homage to the schlock horror films of "Grandfather of Gore" Herschell Gordon Lewis: Theory confirmed! http://rpgreview.net/mob/inspiration.htm

The Jonstown Compendium does not permit creators to update or convert scenarios or stat blocks from existing works published by Chaosium (nor does the Miskatonic Repository) – if you're interested in doing that, we advise you to email us about such things as a pitch via the Chaosium submissions page. However, a sequel (or even a prequel) would be possible, provided it has more original content than the previously published content that is referenced. Yes Correct. Such an approach would be absolutely fine.

Congrats to Miskatonic Repository creator Marek Golonka, whose Call of Cthulhu scenario 'Shepherd of Moths' reached silver status yesterday on DriveThruRPG, 10 days after release!